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09 March, 2014

Gravity (and how I think it should have ended) (Spoilers)

It’s hard to
rant about a film that has just won the Best Director Oscar a week back, but
the fact remains that Gravity left me wanting more, a whole lot more.

The story of a
medical engineer, Ryan Stone, (Sandra Bullock) left fighting for her survival
after a disaster on a space station is beautiful to look at, there is no doubt
about that, and even though I did not watch the film in a theatre, the way it
was supposed to be seen, it still proved to be a wonderful sight. The technical
aspects are the best and deserve all the awards that they have received, and
the same could also be said about the direction to some effect. But, the film
lacks a certain direction. It’s a disaster movie at face value trying to be
something deep, evolutionary, and “spiritual” at heart.

I found
Gravity to work in segments. It starts with general chit chat between the astronauts
working on the space station followed by disaster which leads to some thrilling
scenes and then panic as Stone ends up in space free floating. The same scenario
is repeated in different forms twice more before the film ends, and thus it
feels repetitive at times. That Ryan Stone is still recovering from the death
of her daughter is what adds the human sentimental drama to all the events. The
presence of George Clooney’s astronaut Matt Kowalski is a welcome change for
both Stone and for the audience, but it is a character without any depth. The
film in the end is all about Sandra Bullock’s character.

Throughout the
film I waited, waited for something to happen that would intrigue me or “blow
my mind” away. That never happens and the film ends in a rather predictable
fashion; or maybe not exactly predictable because till the very last scene I
hoped that something extraordinary would happen, but it doesn’t.

So, what I did
as a result of that is make up three different endings to the film in my own
mind and surprisingly they all, and you will probably not agree, seem better
and make the film a lot more tolerable. Imagine what if Stone drowned in the pod
as it landed in the lake at the very end, wouldn’t that be gut wrenching after everything
she went through in space, to end up drowning on arrival. Better yet go the
unconventional way and let a crocodile snap her up as she made way to land
after having survived the landing. Still, the one psychological ending that I
hoped for was what if after everything had happened there was a two minute
scene that showed Stone leave a room and the camera slowly focusing on the name
tag by the door which would have read “Matt Kowalski, Psychologist”. No need to
explain, let the audience make of it what they wanted, but what if the entire
episode was some role play exercise or a form of hypnosis to help Stone come to
terms with her loss. What is important to note is that during the events in
space, whenever Stone has doubts about her survival or is losing hope, Kowalski
comes to her rescue, including once when he has supposedly given away his life
to save Stone. This would work wonders if the last scenario played on as a way
of the psychologist comings to help guide Stone whenever she went off-track. But
then, I’m no writer or a director, instead I’m just someone with a wild
imagination.

Gravity is a visually
stunning and the excellent background score adds to the beauty on the screen with performances that don’t necessarily stand out but nevertheless suit
the film well. It does however seem a little uncertain of where it wants to go
and that is where it left a void for me.

I thought the film was a terrific visual spectacle that does work at home although better with a big TV and good surround sound. I love your alternate endings Raghav as a bit of speculative creativity but what I liked most about the film was its lean nature. Like you say, it's a disaster movie with a little emotional sentiment in regards to Stone's child's death, but at it's heart it's all about survival. And what a thrilling (and tragic) event it is.

I agree with the commentator above that the fie extinguisher bit is a little far-fetched (although I really don't want to speculate how realistic this is as I have absolutely no clue), but overall I liked that it was short, to the point, and relatively free from baggage and back story.

In regards to the ending - I did actually think she was going to drown and thought it would be a fitting if downbeat end given her struggle and survival thus far. Yet, I was glad that she survived. The ending for me was therefore spot on - again, no twists, no overt sentiment, just a walk back to civilian life.

I agree with you about it having a "lean nature", but my issue more so is that it repeats itself in acts. Still, it's not a bad film, and although I did give it a lower rating, it did look awesome. I also don't think it has repeat value and that it just won't stand the test of time. Thanks